Warm Your Soul with Spicy Black Bean Soup in Your Bowl

Chase Away the Winter Chill with this Hearty Soup

It's a bit cruel that January, the month of clean-eating-and-healthy-resolutions, is not particularly amenable to vegetable consumption. Don't get me wrong; I still love my salads and veggies, but it feels wrong to crunch through cold veggies when the snow is falling and my feet are numb from sub-zero school drop-offs.

Thank goodness for soup then; am I right? A hearty, veggie-heavy soup is the perfect prescription for those frigid, January-blues days. This soup is not only spicy and warming, but it's also full of protein; a bowl of this will keep you full and satisfied for hours. This is the kind of soup that gets better with time, so make a big batch and eat it for lunch all week. As Stephon would say...it's spicy!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup carrot, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder)

1-19 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

4 cups vegetable broth

Cilantro for garnish (optional)

Crumbled feta or goat cheese for topping (optional)

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat, until onion is softened and garlic is browned, approximately five minutes.

Nicole loves food! She loves cooking, baking, grocery shopping, and just wearing her apron that sports a cupcake motif. For the most part she avoids processed and packaged foods and loves to create recipes based on her craving-of-the-day. Nicole is a longtime vegetarian (sometimes vegan) who lives in Calgary with her husband, two sons, and a male dog. Her testosterone-infused house is one full of meat-lovers, and she ties on that cupcake apron to incorporate her family’s love of meat into her own meatless meals. Vegetarian and vegan meals can be simple and delicious — and can easily be adapted for those who are on Team Carnivore.

Join Nicole as she divulges tips and tricks for creating meals, snacks, and desserts that appeal to the whole family, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.